Selucia
Selucia, officially known as the Selucian Kingdom (Selucian: Regnum Seluciana, sometimes also translated as "Selucian Commonwealth") is an island nation considered to be a part of the continent of Majatra. To the East of Selucia lies Cildania, to the West Pontesi, and to the North Malivia, while the Majatran Sea lies to the South. Geography Comprised of three islands, Selucia is rich in culture and beautiful places, whether one wants to relax on one of Selucia's beaches or climb in the mountains. Selucia straddles the Equator and gets nearly 330 days of sunshine every year. However, the mountains and inner valleys offer cool places, and the clouds get caught in the mountaintops to unload their rain. The three islands offer three different cultures, but they are not as different as one may think. It is more or less the people's behaviour, how they deal with situations, and how they handle the climate that differentiate them. The former capital, Auroria, is the biggest city in Selucia and seat of the government and Senate. The foundation of this wonderful and mighty city was, according to legend, sometime in the 8th century BCE. History Government and Politics The kingdom of Selucia is a democratic constitutional monarchy founded on the principle of democratic monarchy, whereby the Senate and the 3 executives are considered the two sources of democratic legitimacy in the nation. The Senate is the supreme legislative body of the Kingdom and also has judicial powers. The two executives elect (Consul and Caesar) are elected by the Senate and the People, being seen as the embodiment of the dual legitimacy of the land, also emphasized in the fact that they have fully equal powers and responsibilities, and both jointly serve as head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief. The Cabinet is the executive of Selucia, chaired by the Caesar; individual ministers are known as Magistrates. Administrative divisions Cities Selucia is rich in beautiful villages, towns and cities. Though today Selucia has 10 major metropolises and lots of medium-sized towns and small wonderful villages, it started in the ancient times of Selucia. The Selucian peoples lived in small villages and worked hard on their fields or as fishers on the sea to earn their daily income around 800 B.C.E. A few years later the richest fishermen made a decision that forever changed Selucia. Selucius Maximus returned from one of his daily hunting trips just to call the circle of elders together. He suggested building a town! After intensive debates and discussions Selucius was victorious with his plan and convinced the others to support him. This was the birth of the first Selucian town, Auroria. In the 8th century BCE Auroria was build up and functioned as the main trading market for the neighbouring districts and regions in Corgana. Her place near the sea and her port also helped her to became a keystone for trading with Sadaria Island. Around 334 BCE the Selucian natives were united under one roof bound together by the same religion and origin, founding the Selucian League. In worship of Selucius Maximus all people of the three islands began to call themself Selucian, and have continued to do so up to the present day. Since the foundation of Auroria the Selucian people worked hard to improve their architectural skills and they started to build up villages and small towns over the islands and connected them with roads. These skills and the improvement of infrastructure boosted the Selucian society. Faster travelling and trading, better communities and laws and administrations helped them to go farther. And now Selucia is blessed with these wonderful towns and cities. To give you a first impression you will find some towns and cities described here. Demographics Ethnicity The dominant ethnic group in Selucia is the Selucian people, an Enetric ethnicity distantly related to Kalopians and more closely to Selucic peoples such as Augustans, Canrillaise, or Ushalandans. In addition to Selucians living on the islands since ancient times, this group also encompasses various people of mixed ethnic and cultural backgrounds, legacy of Selucian colonization, that primarily identify as Selucian. It is quite normal in Selucia to have foreign communities due to its nature as a trading and maritime nation. Most ethnic minorities in Selucia originate in the neighboring nations of Cildania, Pontesi, and Barmenia. Jelbic peoples collectively constitute the largest minority in Selucia. Jelbics arrived on the islands following various waves of immigration, especially as a result of several Selucian occupations of Pontesi, and most recently due to the expulsion of Felinists from Barmenia. Minorities from those nations, most prominently Kathurans and Nrkteks, also have a presence in Selucia, having arrived on the islands in the same waves of immigration. The Majatran community contains mostly Badaran and Kafuristani people, in addition to Majatrans from Pontesi and Barmenia. They arrived Selucia as a result of trade and as a consequence of wars. Today they are a stronghold in Selucia's maritime trade with Majatran nations. Around two million persons are of Majatran origin who seem to prefer the Sadaria island as their primary living point. As a result of the Selucian-Deltarian Conflict, many Deltarian immigrants left their home country to find a better place to live. Their distinctive arts and literature displayed a dark humor and parody about the regime in Deltaria. Most of them today live in East Oleria and West Sadaria with a big community also in Auroria. Around 500,000 persons are of Deltarian origin. *Selucians 83% :*Selucians proper 68% :*Seluco-Barmenians 6% :*Seluco-Pontesians 5% :*Seluco-Cildanians 3% :*Other 1% *Jelbics 6% *Cildanians 4% *Arev Mardik 2% *Other (Yeudis, Trigunians, Majatrans, Kathurans, Deltarians, Augustans, Solentians etc.) 2% Religion Selucia has a long history of conflict between its two major national faiths, namely the Selucian Patriarchal Church and Religio Seluciana. Both have been present in the nation for millennia, and the two often compete for the position of dominant religion, while frequently persecuting the other. The Selucian Patriarchal Church, headquartered in Selucia, was the largest denomination of Hosianism, and was led by its Arch-Patriarch, located in the Selucian city of Auroria. In 3861 the Selucian Patriarchal Church entered communion with the Theognosian Church to form the Aurorian Patriarchal Church. Several other Hosian demoninations are also practiced in the nation. Religio Seluciana, often known as Selucian Paganism, is a native polytheistic religion worshipping a pantheon of 27 main gods and numerous minor divinities and spirits. Religio Seluciana was given its modern form in the 19th century when it was accepted as the national faith of Selucia. Recently the Religio was expanded after the acceptance of Felinism as a valid expression of Selucian Paganism. Felinism is an animalistic religion born in Barmenia in the 30th century and worshipping cats as divine beings, built upon the shamanistic beliefs of the Jelbic peoples with heavy influences from Selucian Paganism as practiced by Seluco-Barmenians. Recently most Felinists moved to Selucia, where they were accepted as being part of the same faith as Selucian Pagans, and Felinism was soon afterwards integrated within the Pagan religion. *Hosianism 61% :*Aurorian Patriarchal Church 54% :*Hunticism 4% :*Apostolic Church of the East 2% :*Terran Patriarchal Church 1% :*Other 1% *Paganism 28% :*Religio Seluciana 26% ::*Felinism 5% :*Jelbic shamanism 1% :*Other 1% *Irreligious 10% *Other (Ahmadism, Yeudism, etc.) 1% Aurorian Patriarchal Church The largest religious denomination in Selucia is the Aurorian Patriarchal Church, a Patriarchal faith claiming direct continuity with the Holy Apostolic Hosian Church of Terra, the first international Hosian Church, which was also headquartered in Selucia. The Aurorian Patriarchal Church was founded in 3861 with the merger of the Selucian Patriarchal Church and the Theognosian Church. Religio Seluciana The native religion of Selucia is Religio Seluciana, also known as Cultus Deorum, the polytheistic native faith of the Selucian people. The Religio was once the dominant religion in the nation, but was replaced in that role by the Selucian Patriarchal Church, after which Religio Selucia was declared a religio illicita and its practice banned. Beginning with the 37th century the Religio has experienced a slow resurgence, most recently as a result of the Barmenian Refugee Crisis. Other Religions Of course Selucia contains other beliefs and religions than the two major faiths. Several large religions of Terra, mainly Ahmadism & Yeudism, have minority representation in the Selucian population. Members of these religions often tend to form close-knit communities, to maintain their religious independence. Ahmadism is mostly present in southern Oleria and Sadaria with outposts in Corgana in the regions around Auroria and Assedo. On the other side there is the Yeudish community which is spread over the nation. They mostly do not have big communities but are present in the most cities and towns. A religion that once had much influence in Selucia but has in time become extinct is Helatrobusism, a religion that believed that an alien race known as the Helatrobus created all life on Terra as part of an experiment to understand their own development and that the gods of the native folk faith of Selucia were in fact members of the Helatrobus visiting Terra to observe the experiment first hand. In time Helatrobusism became extinct and can be found only in old books which tell the readers about a party who tried to change the national beliefs but lost against the Selucian tradition. Culture Travelers who visit Selucia marvel as soon as they leave the ship or plane. Busy sidewalks, cafés, and bars draw their attention to the people. Owing to the islands' tropical climate, Selucians still walk in traditional robes; the tunica is the essential Selucian item of clothing, worn by both men and women. Men also wear a toga over the tunic, while women cover their tunics with a stola, over which they often wear a pala. Most people in Selucia are amiable and the citizens often invite visitors into a bar to drink something or just explain the best way to one of the beaches. Most of Selucia's streets are wide, with trees along the sides, giving the feeling of great allées. The sidewalks are made out of granite, the plazas paved with marble. One can often see groups of women walking up and down the streets carrying their shopping purchases home, or stopping along the way to chat with their friends under the shade of the larger trees. A surprise to visitors used to political matters being dealt with in private or in the newspaper, politics is a public topic for most all citizens. They can be found in restaurants talking and discussing the laws, insider politics, or international situations while eating dinner with the family. Selucian culture is rich in festivities and arts. There are three kinds of Selucian marriage: A more traditional and religious one, a traditional family marriage and a marriage by living together for a minimum of one year. All of these are celebrated with lots of friends and family. The religious marriage ceremony is divided into Hosian and Pagan customs, although apart from the religious ceremony itself, there is little difference between them. When a family member dies 6 professional mourners are called, always women, to cry and express how sad and shocked the family is. The body is placed on a bed for 3 days to offer all family members and friends the chance to say their goodbies. After this the body is either buried, if the person was a Hosian, or burned and the ashes placed in an urn, if a Pagan. The daily life is influenced by Selucia's tropical climate. The people are sitting in the different cafes and cigar lounges, discuss daily news on the fora (market places) or just make a trip to the beach and relax in the sun or ride a wave. Open minded and warm heartly foreign visitors will soon find themselves involved in daily small talks together with the natives sipping some Olerian Whiskey. Ludi Gladiatorum The Ludi Gladiatorum are one of the biggest games in Selucia. The first game was held in 347 BCE and since then the strict rules haven't changed. It can be bloody and can even lead to death but this doesn't often happen. People cheer the gladiators and a successful fighter can become very rich and very well known, a real hero. Each provincial capital and also most of the bigger towns have an arena for these games. There are special gladiator schools to train the participants before one of them ever sees the arena. While in ancient times prisoners of war were trained to fight in the arena, today this is a voluntary option. It is always a fight between two men, each of whom chooses one of the four fighter 'archetypes' once they begin their training. But it is not easy to gain the merits and reach the overall goal of success. The way to the Colosseum Imperiale in Auroria is difficult as there is a strict hierarchy to claim the top. You have to become successful and well known to receive an invitation to the next higher level of arena. In the normal way a gladiator starts on the regional level somewhere in the Imperial Provinces. After several successful fights and a good reputation he might get an invitation by a next higher Circus to impress the spectators there. Once if he fights in one of the provincial capitals his reputation is high enough to be able to climb the highest level, the Colosseum Imperiale. With each higher level the money for a victory increases, and there have been previous instances where victorious gladiators have left the sport with a private means of 2,000,000 SEN and more. The highest victory sum ever payed to a victor was during the Victory Games after Terran War I - 500,000 SEN! ( Parks and Gardens Selucian citizens have a fine flair for gardens and parks. Not only the upper class likes to have a garden in their backyard but also the normal people who are living in their own houses. It is pretty popular to have odorous and colourful flowers and shade-providing trees or bushes. Families who want to spend a bit more money often have a fountain in the middle of their garden to impress visitors. But this is the private sphere only. In public Selucia is proud to have not only medium sized gardens for a short work break but also wide parks with arrangements of trees, flowers, fountains and sculptures of Selucian poets, Imperatores and other important Selucians. Some parks are so big you need more then an hour to walk through them to reach the other side. These big parks are often used for festivities and family holiday trips. One of the biggest parks is the Imperial Park. Its arrangement contains lakes, eucalyptuses, colourful flowerbeds, cypresses, marmoreal statues, the gods' pantheon and the Imperators' mausoleum where all Selucian Imperators are buried. Fontains and little resting places are also part of the arrangement. Last but not least the major families also founded some parks over the past centuries so Auroria has a NPMP-memorial-park, a VBS-park, a BSP-park and IPS-park. But these parks founded by the families are nothing in comparison to those parks the families have in their strongholds. Lyrics Selucia is rich in song lyrics and folk songs dealing with the deep love and pride to Selucia. Of course Selucia also has songs which inspire and encourage the citizens to stand up and fight Selucia's foes. We encourage the interested visitor to read our Lyric Book to get an impression. One of the most traditional songs is "The Guard of Aurine". You may also be interested to listen to the Emperor's Hymn or in one of the other wonderful songs. Another very populare part are the military marches you may also find here. Economy Selucia is proud to have a strong economy and a wide spectrum of products as well as some important raw materials. The merchant fleet contains 750 ships of all size to transport these goods to our trading partners Terra wide. As founder of SOTO and the benefit to be one of its keystones lots of trading passes via the archipelago to reach the northern nations, it is quite normal that foreign companies and nations founded trading posts and merchant companies in Selucia. Though Auroria is the most important keystone the city Assedo plays a major role for the northern trade-routes and sea-lanes. Selucia guarantees a safe and secure sea not only in the national waters but also in those waters which are part of SOTO. For this measure Selucia provides permanent sea and air patrols. Selucia has to import most of the oil thou minor oil fields are present. The gold and silver mines in the mountains are used to pay for imports to produce jewelry and for the money. Coffee and tobacco are one of the major export goods beside marble, sugar cane and wine. Visit also the indices of the Selucian Industries and the Selucian Resource Index Military The Selucian Army, Selucian Navy, Selucian Air Force, and the Great King's Guard collectively form the Armed Forces of Selucia. A fifth branch, the Selucian Security, was abolished in 3838 due to its involvement in numerous human rights abuses and lack of civilian oversight. The armed forces are under the joint command of the Consuls, and the Ministry of Defense is responsible for the civilian administration of the Armed Forces of Selucia. In 3838 the Armed Forces had 746,700 personnel on active duty. Category:Nations Category:Selucia Category:Majatra